[jnj2455]

Originally Posted by Wires

OP, I'd SERIOUSLY advise you to try the LED's at night before going down this route. They look sexy from the front of the car, but light output is BRUTAL!!!

I didn't realize why everyone was complaining so much until I took a job that made me drive a 2-lane highway in the country at night. Going to low beams you are just blind. ZERO range.

I think this is a bit misleading.. aftermarket LED bulbs are still generally rubbish and not nearly as robust as a good Morimoto projector and Xenon bulb.

However, OEM LEDs with dedicated design from the get go (vs a retrofit) are quite good at illuminating.

[Wires]

Originally Posted by jnj2455

I think this is a bit misleading.. aftermarket LED bulbs are still generally rubbish and not nearly as robust as a good Morimoto projector and Xenon bulb.

However, OEM LEDs with dedicated design from the get go (vs a retrofit) are quite good at illuminating.

I have OEM LED's, and they are ABOSLUTE GARBAGE for light output. Not misleading anyone. Search the forums, and you will find tons of threads talking about how poor they are and much worse than the HID's they replaced. Even the IIHS rates them as junk.

Even in the new G20, same deal:
https://g20.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1692789

So my recommendation to the OP stands: Try them before you waste your money. It would be an expensive OEM upgrade that will most likely leave you underwhelmed and disappointed.

Other brands (like my Audi SQ5) hit the mark with LED headlights, but BMW is a swing and miss.

[jnj2455]

Originally Posted by Wires

I have OEM LED's, and they are ABOSLUTE GARBAGE for light output. Not misleading anyone. Search the forums, and you will find tons of threads talking about how poor they are and much worse than the HID's they replaced. Even the IIHS rates them as junk.

Even in the new G20, same deal:
https://g20.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1692789

So my recommendation to the OP stands: Try them before you waste your money. It would be an expensive OEM upgrade that will most likely leave you underwhelmed and disappointed.

Other brands (like my Audi SQ5) hit the mark with LED headlights, but BMW is a swing and miss.

There's certainly no harm in what you're recommending but I've read those kinds comments before and couldn't help but feel they were hyperbolic (at least from within the BMW family). So I personally would think any proper Xenon/LED setup would be an upgrade from halogens he has.

It's all relative though. I've now had decent experience with Nissan/Infiniti/Toyota/Lexus/VW/Audi halogens/reflector HIDs/bi-xenon HIDs and I think the BMW LEDs I have are just as good if not better. My father's VW OEM adaptive bi-xenons (35W, 4500k) are not great and I def would say unequivocally that my LEDs are brighter, more even, and have a sharper cutoff. I personally havent had access to the latest gen of LED/Laser lights either though.

I sat in a friend's Ford Fusion (Mondeo in other markets) with OEM LEDs and within minutes into the ride, I was wondering why the LEDs were so dim at illuminating the road in front. So I understand that they are not all created equally.

[EvenKeel]

Originally Posted by sqwinny

You buy led headlights + modules (look for oem) and a halogen to led harness (people make them on eBay). Code in your led lights and you should be good to go.

This thread should help greatly.

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1141545

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/at...8;d=1490600365

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not put an LED or HID bulb in a reflector that's designed for Halogens. Aside from the fact that it's totally illegal, the light source of an LED or HID bulb emanates from a different location within the bulb assembly compared to the light source from a Halogen bulb filament. As a result the beam pattern that's created by the headlamp reflector is totally different and is often very very blinding for oncoming drivers.

The only way you can make this work is via a projector housing that doesn't using a reflector assembly; such as the Depo you are contemplating.

[floridaorange]

just go with spyder

[sqwinny]

Originally Posted by EvenKeel

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not put an LED or HID bulb in a reflector that's designed for Halogens. Aside from the fact that it's totally illegal, the light source of an LED or HID bulb emanates from a different location within the bulb assembly compared to the light source from a Halogen bulb filament. As a result the beam pattern that's created by the headlamp reflector is totally different and is often very very blinding for oncoming drivers.

The only way you can make this work is via a projector housing that doesn't using a reflector assembly; such as the Depo you are contemplating.

This was referring to the actual OEM LED headlight. In order to retrofit you can buy a retrofit harness + oem led headlights + required modules. Not putting an "LED HID KIT" into stock halogen reflector housings 😇

[EvenKeel]

Originally Posted by sqwinny

This was referring to the actual OEM LED headlight. In order to retrofit you can buy a retrofit harness + oem led headlights + required modules. Not putting an "LED HID KIT" into stock halogen reflector housings 😇

Understood. Agreed. Good advice.

[amancuso]

OP I strongly recommend a good quality new halogen bulb (they actually diminish over time, in my Z3's I change them every two years because they are not high mileage cars). After that I suggest you re-aim the headlights. Sounds like they aren't adjusted properly. Best of luck!

[chuckles01]

Originally Posted by TurboDan737

So my car was a dealer demo. It's been great, perfect, the best car I've ever driven.

But it also has, bar none, the worst headlights of any car I've ever driven. They are measurably worse than a 1991 Mazda Protege I used to own. Had I known they were this bad, I literally would have purchased another vehicle with HIDs from the factory. I had no idea going back to halogens would be so dramatic, especially since I have family members with BMWs that have decent halogen lights.

Here's my problem: three mechanics, including a BMW custom shop, told me that absolutely NO LED bulbs (yes, including H7 bulbs that, according to headlight websites, are fine) will fit in my 2016 320i xDrive because it's a post-LCI vehicle and there is no physical room for the bulbs with the heat sink and wider end at the connector. I was willing to buy the DEPO light assembly, no matter the cost, but it turns out that is only for "pre-LCI" vehicles as well.

Is there ANYTHING I can do about this? I absolutely love this car but the lights are horrendous, to say the least. It stuns me that they're even making $43,000 cars with halogen lights to begin with, especially when my old Land Rover from 2008 had HIDs standard. But that is beside the point. I have driving to do, and I'd rather not crash.

Any advice would be appreciated, aside from trading it in for a new car.

Op, another thing you can consider is having a shop do a custom projector retrofit using your existing halogen housings. They will be able to do either an HID or an LED projector retrofit, and also make it look and perform OEM. This is different from just putting in an LED or HID bulb, and they'd be able to work around the size and space limitations of your housings with different kind of projectors. One such shop that I hear about a lot that does great work is Lightwerkz (www.lightwerkz.net) in NJ (yes you'd have to shop your housings to them). If this is something you're open to, you could always look them up or contact them to ask for more details. I've corresponded with the owner before with various questions and they've been very helpful.

I almost sent my headlights into them for a clear lens swap, something different from your needs but also requires opening the headlight. I ultimately found a shop (BayOptiks) closer to me and just drove to them.

In either case, just wanted to throw this option out there. Can't hurt to ask. Good luck!